Every great city in the world has a river flowing through it. Varanasi has the Ganga, London the Thames, Rome the Tiber and Paris has the Siene.
Delhi too has a river to call its own, but it has not shown it much love in the recent past. Though Delhi’s history is intricately intertwined with the meanders of its river, most Delhiwallahs only think of it when they cross one of its many bridges, only to be rudely reminded of it by the overpowering stench of its water. As it flows through the city, the river is reduced to little more than an open sewer, its water dark and viscous from the tonnes of untreated sewage and industrial waste pumped into it. In fact, at the Sur Ghat in Wazirabad, where the Najafgarh nallah meets the Yamuna, one can distinctly see the colour of the water change from muddy brown to a Stygian black. A river activist once said that if every house in Delhi didn’t flush its toilet for a day, the river would go dry.
And yet the faithful flock to ita many ghats to pray and even submerge themselves into its gloomy depths, which is often covered in noxious foam, generated when the chemicals in the water are agitated by the irrigation department releasing the flow for the occasion. The river is covered in a billowing white foam, as if trying to clean itself, but the ever-familiar stench is a constant reminder of the reality.
Hopefully, the city will someday rediscover its love for the river that flows through it. Till then, Yamuna Ji will keep reminding us of her presence.
Text and Photographs by Vikram Sharma
